Holy Week in Teotitlán

Roman soldier boy in Monday's procession

Eating the offerings with the figures of Jesus and Marry in background

Carrying an angel through the procession

Carrying Jesus from the church to the cemetery

Death eaters lead Jesus to the cemetery

I am loving living at the cooperative’s headquarters. The differences in gender roles between this house and the last is unbelievable, and, as a side benefit, I have a shower and wireless internet! (Truthfully, I don’t know how good either one of those is for me, but it is what it is). My favorite thing is when tourists come to visit the cooperative and I get to play translator. There they are, standing in the courtyard, an arduous journey by public transportation to reach this semi-remote village, and an American college student in her pajamas is about the last person they expect to see come out to greet them. (Note: I am battling Montezuma’s revenge and therefore have spent the better part of the last three days in bed trying to make my stomach stop hurting. Hence the pajamas). Today we had a group of girls in their mid-20s from Australia, England, and Canada visit, and I love that I got to teach them about the cooperative and all of the wonderful things the women here are doing. They purchased purses and donated to the community project, which was wonderful as well.

On another note, holy week here was something to behold. On Monday a large procession of about 1000 people led states of Jesus and Mary through the town, stopping at every corner to offer the images flowers and food. From a research perspective, I got to note the ritual aspects of the community, and how gender roles are enacted in these events. The women cook the food to be offered, and then men bring it from inside of the house to the men who are carrying the statues, serving them before serving the women and children who comprise the rest of the procession. A band, which is made entirely of men although I hear that there are band with women in them here as well, leads the procession, followed by women carrying candles and the men carrying the statues. On Thursday night we all brought flowers, money, and candles to Jesus, who had been kidnapped by a bunch of 7-8 year old boys dressed up as Roman soldiers and placed in a room in the courtyard of the church. On Friday Jesus was brought out again, this time with Mary, Mary Magdalene, and San Jose. The latter three went one way through the town, and Jesus went the other. When Jesus reached our house, we went outside and threw water and flowers in front of him, cleaning and beautifying his path. Then we followed the procession of about 2000 people to the town’s municipality (about 1 block) where Jesus encountered the other three images. The Catholic priest then came out and gave a rousing sermon about everything from domestic violence to alcoholism to machismo (all of which are huge problems here). I was quite impressed with how liberal he was, but I guess that’s the liberation theologist movement here in action. Friday night Jesus was led one last time, this time in a coffin, to the village’s cemetery, where he was buried. Leading him were a bunch of men in robes with pointed black masked hats—DEATH EATERS! I think I was the only one in the crowd that made the Harry Potter connection. Now holy week is over, and all that happens Easter Sunday is a mass. Next week is the town’s carnival though, which should provide plenty of other entertainment!